


Prompting Fates

by grimorie



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Meme, Prompt Fill, friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:06:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1863921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimorie/pseuds/grimorie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt Fills for Person of Interest</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, I'm merely playing in the creator's sandbox. 
> 
> Prompt: Stop trying to cheer me up!

The mission went sideways and so did Shaw’s hair.

Shaw was glowering at the mirror for a full 15 minutes, John had grimaced when he first saw it. Shaw noted that reaction, she didn’t even really care that much but dammit. So she did the only logical thing: Shaw beat the crap out of the perp.

"It doesn’t look that bad?" Reese hedged.

"She actually looks roguish, doesn’t she, Harry?"

"Uh—-"

Shaw transferred her glower to Harold.

"Its a very distinctive haircut, Miss Groves."

"Even Harold likes your new look, Shaw!"

"Stop trying to cheer me up!" She said, almost growling the words, then before anyone else can say another word, Shaw took out her knife and chopped off the other side too. If anything the look of surprise and shock on Finch’s face was worth it, John only raised his eyebrows at her.

"Miss Shaw, you do know you can afford a stylist."

Root approached Shaw and touched the edges of her hair. “I do love your way with knives.”

Shaw rolled her eyes then took a sideways step away from Root, “Yeah okay, handsy, thanks for the input.”


	2. Its a circus out here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Where the fuck did that clown come from?"  
> [original post](http://isagrimorie.tumblr.com/post/89613892651/where-the-fuck-did-that-clown-come-from-rootxshaw)

"I get the lion," Shaw said, pointing to the lion now snapping at the terrified Decima agents. Even they’re afraid of being savaged to death by lions thereby stopping their annoying tendencies to kill themselves.  
  
"I get the glider," she continued, referring to the glider that was now discarded on the road, the one they used to escape the _other_ Decima agents.  
  
"But where the fuck did that clown come from?" Here she was referring to the clown blowing up a balloon right next to them.  
  
Seriously, Shaw’s life has never been more surreal than the moment she met Root.  
  
"From the traveling circus I’ve been hanging out in," Root replied, as if it were the most perfectly reasonable explanation. In a way, it kinda was. "Even _I_ can’t just get a lion in such short notice but I love that you think I can do that."  
  
Shaw stared at Root. “ _That’s_ the cover the Machine gave you? You’re a carny?”  
  
"What better excuse do I need when I have pop up anywhere?" Root brought out a whip from her messenger bag and cracked it above her head. The lion went to heel right next to Root. "It turns out I’m quite good at taming lions."  
  
Root twirled the whip around her hand and Shaw found herself tracking the whip in Root’s hand.  “You’re pretty handy with a whip.”  
  
"Want to see my next trick?"  
  
Out of the corner of Shaw’s eye, she saw one of the Decima agents  twitch and really, she could have just used the gun instead Shaw snatched the whip from Root’s hand and cracked it at the Decima agent, it bit into his cheek and he fell down clutching it. “Stay.”  
  
The Decima agent froze, eyes wide. Moving from the whip in her hands to the lion, and to the Clown that’s moved on into juggling.  
  
 _Sur-fucking-real_.  
  
But Shaw knew better than anyone how to make a good thing out of a bad situation, Shaw tossed the whip back too Root and smirked. “I’m pretty handy with a whip too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where’s your sense of fun, Sameen?" Root asked.
> 
> Prompt Fill for [here](http://isagrimorie.tumblr.com/post/113214974851/i-cant-believe-you-talked-me-into-this-root).
> 
> As of this chapter, unless other wise stated events occur in between _Pretenders_ and _The Devil You Know_. It's why I'm changing from Pre-Root/Shaw to Root/Shaw.

"I can’t believe you talked me into this," Shaw grumbled under the mask. The mask was the least glittery thing in the ensemble she was forced to wear. 

Root promised danger and explosions and a mission that didn’t involve a Number. 

The mission did have explosions— of glitter and right now the closest thing to danger is Shaw killing Root. 

“ _Where’s your sense of fun, Sameen?_ " Root asked, clearly having the time of her life, wherever she was. 

"Currently six feet under. Right where you’ll be when I get my hands on you." 

” _Promise?_ " 

Shaw gritted her teeth at Root’s coy tone of voice. 

” _Ladies,_ " Harold’s firm voice interrupted. " _If you please. If we are to pull this off everything comes down to timing._ ”

Okay, the other thing going for this whole thing was it involved an elaborate heist that involved multiple moving parts and yet Shaw still didn’t get why she was the one who ended up as a chorus girl.

Shaw was slotted into the line up after the chorus girls and the multiple backup chorus girls became mysteriously unavailable.  Apparently, aside from a scattered resume, lackluster performances at Macy’s, and occasional stint as a thief, Sameen Grey also had showbiz aspirations. 

A last minute rehearsal (she had great memory and once upon a time, in a different life she had taken dance. Shaw was not entirely happy the Machine knew this and now _Root_ knew it too), a last minute fitting. Last minute everything and suddenly here she was. 

“ _Smile, sweetie._ ”

There was a nudge on her ribs, Shaw turned and found Root grinning at her. She was a stagehand. Goddammit.

"I’ll kill you."

Root smiled even more deviously and said, “Break a leg, tiger.”

Then before Shaw could say or do anything, Root swatted her ass. Shaw’s retaliation was swift and she drove her stiletto on Root’s booted foot. A surprised, pained grunt escaped from Root's throat and she instinctively tried to pull her foot away but Shaw kept Root's foot on the floor. She glanced up at Root and found the strained smile on Root's face. Shaw told her her boots were crap. 

By the time the curtains went up, Shaw’s smile was genuine, she lifted her foot from Root’s boot and entered stage right.


	4. Shot Through the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"If you die, I’m gonna kill you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-whenever Shaw gets back. Prompt fill from this [post](http://isagrimorie.tumblr.com/post/113300642681/shaw-root-44-reese-crews-14-3).

"If you die, I’m gonna kill you."

Root let out a raspy chuckle, and managed to say around the belt she was biting down on, “Pot, kettle.”

"Yeah, but I didn’t stay dead, did I?" Shaw retorted. Her hands were occupied stemming the blood from Root’s bullet wound. It wasn’t exactly a gut shot and the bullet wound was shallow. It was fortunate the Machine found them a veterinarian clinic in an upscale neighborhood and so security wasn't as tight. A couple of beef jerky all around and she was able to quiet the three dogs staying the night in the clinic. There was one cat inside the infirmary that wouldn't stop staring at Shaw so Shaw dropped a linen on its cage. 

Shaw felt feathery touches hover over the scar on her forehead down to her left eyebrow. It was a scar Samaritan and its operators gifted her with, she evaded Root's hand but Root was persistent.  "Rogue-ish." 

"Stop hitting on me when I’m trying to keep you alive."

Shaw could see the sparkle in Root's eyes and knew she was about to say something annoying. Shaw dipped her head down and then with a sharp motion dug out the bullet. Root let out a surprised gasp and latched on Shaw’s arm in a vice grip, nails digging into flesh. 

It was a struggle and there would be crescent shaped bruises on Shaw's arm but she managed to dig out the bullet and patch up Root. In an hour or two, they could risk calling Harold but not before then. 

"I always like your work." Root’s voice was rough and hoarse. "Your stitching is always so clean and elegant."

Shaw snorted and there was a brief, moment of blissful silence. 

"If my heart stopped—"

"The bullet wasn’t even close to your heart," Shaw protested in annoyance.   

"But I was bleeding profusely," Root pointed out, "and I’m still feeling faint. I could die." 

Shaw ignored Root and began cleaning up. 

"If my heart stopped," Root repeated, "would you have used adrenaline on me like in _Pulp Fiction_?”

"No."

"Why not?" The disappointment in Root’s voice was palpable. 

"Because intracardiac injections are stupidly dangerous," Shaw retorted. Just her luck, the one time Shaw needed the Machine to correct Root’s misconceptions, it wasn’t around. 

Stupid movie. Fun to watch, but seriously everyone and their mother thinks an injection straight to the heart is medically sound. She was shelving a few towels that were unused and then stopped to narrow her eyes at Root. 

Root’s looked like as pale as a sheet of paper but her eyes were dancing.

"You just want an excuse to say you were ‘shot through the heart’." 

"Can you blame me? We give love a bad name." 

Shaw threw the towel at Root’s head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about medicine except through Google and _Grey’s Anatomy_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Fancy seeing you here.”_
> 
> _“Fancy you breaking into a secure facility.” Shaw returned._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill: "exes meeting again after not speaking for years au" 
> 
>  
> 
> [original post](http://isagrimorie.tumblr.com/post/127923453921/shoot-17#post-notes)

“Hi, sweetie.” 

Shaw stepped over an overturned bench, her boots crunching glass. “Root.” 

“Fancy seeing you here.”

“Fancy you breaking into a secure facility.” Shaw returned she studied Root, she looked gaunt and pale from blood loss. 

“Can’t a girl stop by and talk to her best gal? Its been, what? Five years?”

“And change,” Shaw said crouching down to her level. “You look like hell.”

“I missed your way with words.” 

“Root,” Shaw began slowly, “you’re breaking the rules. You shouldn’t be here, is John here too?” 

“Just me,” Root said with a grin, “and Her.” 

Shaw looked at her and Root looked away, “The Machine isn’t here.” Shaw looked around, they were alone now. Root did a number on the server room and sighed. “You know this is only one of many Samaritan facilities.”

“I know I told you that.” She grimaced, Shaw reached out and pressed a hand to the wound.

“Gut shot,” Shaw noted. 

“You know me,” Root flashed another grin, Shaw pressed harder and the grin gave way to another grimace and hissed. 

“I brokered a deal for you guys, you were safe as long as you guys didn’t pull stunts like this.” 

“C’mon, Sam, if you were in my position would you have followed the deal?”

“I _am_ in your position,” Shaw said sharply. “You know what I have to do now.” 

“I know.” 

“It didn’t have to come to this.” 

She smiled at Shaw again, eyes steady. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” 

“What’s the point of all of this, Root?”

“No point. The Machine was supposed to change the world but Samaritan took over, and you were meant to be with us.” _With me_ , were the unspoken words. 

Shaw took out her gun. “Life is what it is.”

“Since when did you ever accept that?”

Shaw shrugged and then sighed. “Are you ready?” 

“A kiss before dying?”

Shaw looked at Root sharply even with the characteristic playfulness she looked at her in open honesty, one of the few times Root was open to her. 

Maybe it was some buried sentimentality but Shaw found herself sliding her hand, the one she had pressed into Root’s wound and sticky with Root's blood, up her cheek and leaned in to press her lips to Root. Root surged forward and it was like triggering a sense memory. 

Root tasted like gunpowder and maybe regret, if Shaw was capable of it. 

Shaw pulled away and sat back on her haunches, Root’s cheek was coated in blood. She looked back at Shaw steadily with no fear.

Shaw raised her gun.

“’Til the next life.”


End file.
